Travel Santa Ana By Charter Bus
Art: The city’s devotion to visual beauty flowers among the historic brick buildings at the Arts District downtown. Grand Central Art Center, sponsored by California State University Fullerton, houses artists-in-residence while providing ever-changing free exhibits on visual arts. Its small theater charges $5 a ticket for weekend performances.
Across the brick plaza is the Santora Arts Building, a Beaux Arts structure that is home to several galleries and an eatery or two. Across Sycamore is the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, another free gallery that displays modern art. Nearby, across Broadway, Libreria Martinez is a Spanish/English bookstore that shows off paintings by local Latino artists.
The best time to come is during Artwalk held every first Saturday night of the month. Rub elbows with over 3,500 art lovers as you visit 20 art spaces, enjoy live performances, and eat restaurant specials. With that many people strolling around, parking is an issue unless you have a charter bus that can drop you off.
Outdoors: The city maintains over 35 parks and well over a dozen recreational facilities for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. One of the best is the Santiago Creek Wildlife and Watershed Center. Wander 23 acres of environments like oak woodland and coastal sage scrub. Or find out about local wildlife at the exhibit hall.
Nothing is quite like the River Trail, a 12-foot paved path that follows the local river. Don’t expect to find any water in this flood control channel, except after a heavy rain. What you will discover is over 70 miles of walking, skating, and biking from the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach to the line between Orange and Riverside counties. You can also charter a bus in Riverside to visit Santa Ana. Entry points are common at roadways that cross the river. Many parks also provide respite just off the trail.
If you want to commune with creatures, especially if you have kids, check out the Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park. You’ll find over 80 species of animals, focusing primarily on monkeys like the smallest n the world, the Pygmy Marmosets. The Conservation Carousel and Zoofari Express Train Ride provide fun for the little ones at an additional cost.
Museums: Museum Row runs through North Main Street between W. 18th St. and Mainplace Drive and puts three institutions within walking distance of each other.
- On the south end stands Kidseum, which encourages creativity and imagination among children. Permanent exhibits, such as the Glow Cave to create art and the Green Screen Time Machine for riding a Wells Fargo stagecoach, demand interactive play.
- Then comes the Bowers Museum that specializes in cultural and artistic displays. Permanent presentations, such as Native American art and 5,000 years of Chinese culture are supplemented by traveling exhibits, which may require separate tickets.
- Finally, there’s the Discovery Cube OC, which makes science-learning fun for the family. Go on a helicopter tour of the county, uncover the science behind hockey, and hunt for prehistoric dinosaur bones.
Hanging Out: Sometimes on vacation, you just want to hang out and eat, shop, and otherwise absorb local life. For a taste of Latino culture, check out W. 4th St. between N. Spurgeon and Broadway. This stretch of road acts as the heart of downtown Santa Ana and features one- and two-story historic commercial structures. Grab a snack from a vendor cart, hunt for bargains at a pawn shop or bridal store, or people-watch on the brick-surfaced pedestrian pathway on N. Spurgeon St. between E 4th St. and E 3rd St.
When you’re after a hipper vibe, join the millennials at Fourth Street Market. This food center features individually owned stalls serving creative dishes such as pork belly burritos, house-made ice cream cookie sandwiches, and ink waffles. Take your grub to a patio that OC Weekly readers chose as the best one in Orange County. You’ll often hear live performances by the county’s up-and-coming bands.
For a traditional indoor mall experience, wander the air-conditioned halls of Mainplace Mall. This shopper’s paradise features such chain-store stalwarts as Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret, and Hallmark. And yes, they do have a Food Court, also populated by chain eateries like Sbarro, Mrs. Fields, and Baja Fresh. Complimentary wheelchairs and electric scooters are available if you’d rather do your window shopping on a roll.
